KUALA LUMPUR : 22 August 2017 – In line with the 60th National Day Celebration theme “Negaraku, Sehati Sejiwa”, SME Bank has organised of a poem recital session entitled “Jiwa Hamba” by our “Sasterawan Negara” the late Dato’ Dr. Usman Awang and “Mencipta Pantun Semarak Kemerdekaan” competition for the staff to demonstrate their love and feelings for the country. The objective of these activities is to instil the spirit of nationalism and the unity among Malaysians.

The poem’s recital was delivered by Qistina Rahmat, an employee of the Bank that who is representing the youth of the nation. For the pantun competition, a total of 51 entries involving 107 employees of SME Bank have been received whereby the verses of their pantun represented the meaning of independence to them. Their pantun were immortalized in a giant frame displayed at the lobby of Menara SME Bank. The Bank offers cash prizes of RM2,200.00 to the winners of the competition.

Several other competition were also held such as the Best “Merdeka” Stall and the Best “Merdeka” Costume. For the Best “Merdeka” Stall competition, each Division was required to open and decorate their stalls in the most creative way based on the national day theme.

Dato’ Razman Mohd Noor, Chief Operating Officer (Corporate Management of Operations Group) of SME Bank Group said, “The unity of the rakyat has led to the country’s prosperity and provides a more comfortable life for all Malaysians. Therefore, we must continue to support the efforts undertaken by the Government for our present and future benefits.”

The SME Bank national day celebration was graced by the presence of YB Datuk Haji Ahmad Bin Haji Maslan, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry who officiated the ceremony and gave away prizes to the winners of the competitions.

Since its inception in 2005 until December 2016, SME Bank has approved RM27 billion worth of financing to more than 15,740 customers. SME Bank’s commitment in assisting the SMEs to grow and remain competitive has been recognized internationally when the Bank became the first Development Finance Institution in Malaysia and ASEAN to be a member of The Montreal Group or TMG. TMG is an exclusive global forum for state-owned development banks focused on assisting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.